Chapter 145: The Crown Prince’s Selection of a Consort

Chapter 145: The Crown Prince's Selection of a Consort

The sky was ablaze with the setting sun, and golden jackdaws flew across the horizon.

The imperial estate outside the capital had expanded nearly double its size after several months of construction. The convicts who were originally supposed to be exiled to the borderlands were still there, continuing their grueling finishing tasks.

Sixteen rode his horse into the estate's boundary, pulling the reins to a halt beside the large area that had been designated.

On these thirty acres of land belonging to Du Yunse, a residence had already been built, tenant farmers had been recruited, and cotton, sugar beets, and the saplings Qiu Huanian had ordered planted before leaving had been sown.

Knowing Qiu Huanian’s temperament, it wouldn’t be long before he came to inspect the estate.

When that time came, they would surely meet again...

Sixteen pursed his lips, a mix of frustration and anticipation stirring within him.

Before the people on the estate could gather around him, Sixteen squeezed the horse’s sides, flicked the reins, and spurred his horse deeper into the estate.

The Crown Prince now often stayed at the estate. As a sign of his repentance, he had brought only a small portion of the palace servants with him, while the rest were the estate’s resident attendants.

Of course, this was only the surface appearance. The Crown Prince would never risk his safety for show. The entire estate had long been heavily guarded by the Crown Prince’s elite forces. Sixteen was the only person, aside from the Crown Prince himself, who knew the full layout.

He was, in every way, the Crown Prince’s most trusted confidant.

Sixteen entered the palace and saw Madam Wu, the Crown Prince’s longtime caretaker, who had originally been the chief palace maid of the Empress.

"Madam Wu, are you waiting here because His Highness hasn’t taken his medicine again?"

Madam Wu nodded, "His Highness won’t let anyone in, and we dare not disturb him. Please, Young Master Sixteen, go and check on him."

Sixteen nodded as usual and went directly to the small pharmacy to fetch the custom-brewed medicine. He wore a leather mask on his face, its intricate silver designs that lent an air of mystery and unease.

As he passed the palace’s small kitchen, Sixteen’s ears twitched slightly, catching the soft murmurs of the palace maids behind the doors.

"It seems that every time His Highness refuses to take his medicine or eat, it’s always Young Master Sixteen who persuades him."

"I really wonder what Young Master Sixteen looks like. He’s so elusive—it’s downright unnerving..."

"Shh—do you want to die? We still want to live! Young Master Sixteen is the one person here you don’t want to cross!"

"Why is that?"

"I heard that Young Master Sixteen is a Ge’er, a term for a male servant with intimate duties, likely attending to His Highness in every capacity. When His Highness can finally marry, he will surely become a concubine, and maybe even a palace consort in the future!"

...

Sixteen’s long lashes fluttered slightly, as if he hadn’t heard anything, calmly cradling the white jade bowl of medicine through the long corridor.

He arrived at the main hall and gently knocked on the door. Receiving no response, he pushed the door open and entered.

The spacious hall was scented with a subtle fragrance, the Crown Prince’s favorite incense, "Er Su Jiu Ju," known for its nostalgic aroma, carrying the timeless scent of books and years, as if time had aged into the soft yellow of old parchment.

Sixteen thought to himself that if he stayed here tonight, he would have to scrub himself thoroughly tomorrow before going out on business.

As a hidden guard, he couldn’t afford to carry any trace of scent.

Sixteen walked toward the side desk, where, as expected, Jia Hongyuan was seated.

He sat there quietly, one hand supporting his head as he rested slightly. His jet-black hair fell loosely, half-covering his jade-like complexion, while his high nose bridge traced a graceful arc.

Sixteen quietly set the medicine bowl on a nearby side table, moving as silently as a black cat in the dark, not making a sound as he approached Jia Hongyuan. He stopped a few steps away and sat on the wooden floor, staring at Jia Hongyuan, lost in thought.

Jia Hongyuan looked remarkably like the late empress, especially when he closed his piercing eyes inherited from the Yuanhua Emperor.

Sixteen had a clear memory of the late empress, even though they had only met once.

At that time, he had already been training in the palace's teaching institute for six grueling years of rigorous training, enough to make a young child forget his name and become a qualified shadow guard.

When he finally passed all the assessments and inspections and was given the name "Sixteen," he remained expressionless. When he heard that the empress was selecting someone from the teaching institute for the crown prince, he remained expressionless. Even when he, wearing the same uniform as the other shadow guards, was led into the empress's Kunning Palace, he still remained expressionless, bowing his head mechanically, like a puppet, just like everyone else.

Until he heard a voice from above.

A soft, anxious, and slightly pleading voice, tinged with disappointment.

"Who among you can accompany my child?"

The voice was unfamiliar, but its tone and emotion seemed hauntingly familiar.

It echoed the voices of his mother and elder sister, buried deep in his memory.

Sixteen instinctively looked up and saw the most noble yet sorrowful woman in the world.

The woman's breathtaking beauty and opulent attire made Sixteen's eyes burn. A warm tear traced his cheek before he realized he was crying.

"It's him," Sixteen heard the woman say.

He was numbly urged to thank her, led away to change into fresh attire, and congratulated and fawned over by a throng.

However, before the empress could make further arrangements, within two hours, the woman, whose health had been ruined by years of following the emperor on campaigns, fell ill and died in the palace. At the same time, the crown prince suddenly fell seriously ill.

The emperor was away on a campaign, and the palace descended into chaos. To soothe the young crown prince, Sixteen was presented to him as a shadow guard.

They told the crown prince that the young shadow guard standing before him was the empress's final gift.

Sixteen also looked at the crown prince.

He had just turned ten, looking very much like the empress, pale and frail, as if a breeze might carry him off. His dark eyes concealed a startling depth.

Sixteen thought, so this is her child.

He looked at the crown prince, a shadow guard looking at his master, a child whose spirit had been reawakened, gazing at another child bereft of familial protection.

Sixteen became the most trusted shadow guard of Crown Prince Jia Hongyuan, and the one who had accompanied him the longest.

Shadow guards were meant to lurk in the room's shadows, but Jia Hongyuan would not allow it. Whenever they were alone in the room, Jia Hongyuan would unfailingly locate Sixteen with precision. Over time, Sixteen developed the habit of sitting beside Jia Hongyuan and watching him.

Jia Hongyuan had no secrets from him.

He observed the pale, fragile boy maneuver through perils, gaining power incrementally amidst intrigue, becoming the undisputed heir to the throne.

He watched him always appear gentle and refined in public, his good reputation spreading far and wide, while behind the scenes, he was ruthless, sinister, and obsessive, showing no mercy to his enemies.

He knew his methods, his madness, and also every moment of his unwillingness and humiliation over the years.

These were the things Jia Hongyuan allowed only Sixteen to see in the deepest, darkest nights.

...

Sixteen was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that Jia Hongyuan had opened his eyes at some point, his dark pupils fixed on him.

Jia Hongyuan curled the corner of his lips slightly, "What are you thinking about, hmm?"

Sixteen lowered his eyes, "Azure Phoenix Lord has sent a letter; he’ll be back in the capital within ten days."

Jia Hongyuan took the letter but did not open it immediately, placing it beside him instead.

"Father’s birthday is coming up, so we’ll have to stay in the palace for a while again."

"Do you prefer being in the palace or outside?"

"I prefer to be by Your Highness’s side."

Sixteen spoke plainly, without any hidden meaning. Over the years, he’d gotten used to staying close to Jia Hongyuan, quietly watching the Crown Prince lost in thought—it was his most peaceful time.

Jia Hongyuan was pleased, his smile widening.

"What’s the situation with my third brother?"

"The Jin Princess is indeed pregnant. The Xie family has been consulting masters to pray for a son."

The Second Prince and Prince Jin have been married for years and have children, but their main wives haven’t borne a son yet.

In ancient times, lineage was everything. If the Second Prince and Prince Jin were to have legitimate eldest sons, while the Crown Prince remained unmarried and without heirs, it would undoubtedly become a focal point of attack from opposing factions, and his own camp would also become unstable.

Jia Hongyuan was worn out from keeping up appearances; only with Sixteen could he be himself. He enjoyed privately discussing the political situation with Sixteen. Under the Crown Prince’s daily tutelage, Sixteen had sharp political instincts and quickly saw the deeper issues.

Sixteen weighed the risks in his mind, then remembered a conversation he’d overheard near the kitchen. His heart skipped a beat, and his thoughts scattered.

Jia Hongyuan didn’t seem to link the Jin Princess’s pregnancy to himself, casually saying, "Send over some suitable gifts. I wish him luck."

"Shall we send calligraphy and paintings? They’re the safest choice—hard to tamper with or use against us."

"Sure, pick two scrolls I don’t care for, and have a master painter do a ‘Guanyin Sending a Son’ piece—make it a boy, so he doesn’t think I’m cheap."

Jia Hongyuan's tone was light, even making a small joke.

"But Prince Jin will assume Your Highness means to harm his child."

"I’d never harm a child, but protecting his own is up to Jia Honghan."

Everyone’s watching the Jin Princess’s pregnancy—not just us, but the Second Prince, Prince Pingxian, even Prince Jin’s own household...

"Father might step in too. A girl or boy might live, but a son? Who knows?"

No one alive understands the Yuanhua Emperor’s ruthlessness like Jia Hongyuan.

Even if the Yuanhua Emperor blocks Prince Jin from having a legitimate heir for the Crown Prince’s sake, Jia Hongyuan wouldn’t rest easy.

"The throne? Promises mean nothing. It’s only yours when you’re sitting on it."

The Yuanhua Emperor and the Crown Prince are cut from the same cloth—they only trust what’s in their grasp.

Sixteen gazed at the godlike Jia Hongyuan and, almost involuntarily, said, "Officials who support Your Highness will push for you to choose a consort."

Jia Hongyuan nodded, expecting this. "Let them push. The murkier, the better."

"Anyone wanting their family to produce the Crown Princess or a concubine will have to pay up first."

Sixteen looked down and fell silent.

He heard Jia Hongyuan chuckle softly, the sound like water dripping on jade, ethereal and pleasing to the ear.

"Who does Sixteen think should be selected as the Crown Princess and the concubines?"

Sixteen paused for a moment before speaking, his voice as calm and indifferent as ever.

"This is Your Highness's family affair; I dare not offer an opinion."

Jia Hongyuan raised an eyebrow, casually shifting the conversation as if it had been nothing more than a casual inquiry.